Plant these 13 Seeds for a Cottagecore Dream Garden

Cottagecore may be trendy now, but the classic cottage garden has been around for many years. The image of the English cottage garden as we know it today dates back to the Victorian era, when rambling beds overflowing with blooms became the dominant style.

Since the cottagecore aesthetic doesn’t seem to be dying down any time soon, it appears the cottage garden revival is here to stay. It’s so easy to recreate this low-maintenance look, a great choice for beginner gardeners who want masses of blooms but don’t know where to start.

This list covers the seeds you need to plant for your cottagecore dream garden, from low-growing alyssum and chamomile to towering foxgloves and hollyhocks. You’ll find the right fit for every gap in your garden.

Cottagecore Dream

This whimsical collection will transform your garden into a dreamy floral haven filled with delicate blooms and soft pastel hues.

This package includes Foxglove Gloxiniiflora Blend, German Chamomile, Mother of Pearl Poppy, and more!

Embrace the charm of a simpler, beautiful life, right in your backyard.

Buy at Botanical Interests

Foxglove Gloxiniiflora Blend

A cottagecore garden is incomplete without foxglove flower stalks hovering above your beds. These tall blooms add structure in their height and stature, but a softness in their bell-shaped flowers perfectly suited to a rambling cottage garden.

The Gloxiniiflora Blend has excellent variety in color, with larger and wider blooms than some other foxglove varieties. These blooms are great for attracting pollinators like hummingbirds to your backyard. Plus, the tall stems are prime for cutting to bring your cottagecore dream indoors.

When sowing from seed, you’ll have to wait till the second year to enjoy these beautiful biennials. But after that, they will self-sow to return each year. Place these at the back of your perennial beds to introduce some height, or in partially shady areas around trees that need a pop of color.

German Chamomile

If you need to fill a large space in a cottage garden with delicate, wispy white blooms, German chamomile should be your go-to. Although largely native to Eastern Europe, these adorable herbs look like they were plucked right from a traditional English wildflower garden.

But beauty is not the only benefit. German chamomile also has a long list of uses well-suited to the cottagecore lifestyle. The flower heads are used to make a soothing tea that’s a great complement to a blanket and a good book. The scented blooms also dry well to add to floral arrangements or homemade crafts.

After sowing, you’ll see the white blooms start to pop up from late spring and into summer. If you’re planning on harvesting often, grow several plants together so there are always blooms left behind. If you just want to enjoy them for their ornamental value, they’re great for filling gaps in your beds.

Mother of Pearl Poppy

Poppies are another cottage garden staple, with so many stunning varieties to choose from. ‘Mother of Pearl’ is my pick, a poppy with shimmery blooms in stunning pastel hues. The ruffled petals with contrasting dark centers instantly catch the eye in the garden.

While they look wonderful on their own, they make the biggest impact when planted en masse. Grouping them together creates a field of tall blooms that brings the cottagecore feel with little effort. With their height, they also work well planted at the back of mixed beds.

Despite their delicate look, these poppies are incredibly easy to grow. They are drought-tolerant, deer-resistant, and don’t require much extra maintenance to look their best. At the end of the season, harvest the decorative seed pods to use in your floral arrangements.

Feverfew

Victorian cottage gardens throughout history were filled with feverfew, and not just for their ornamental value. Feverfew has been used as a medicinal plant for hundreds of years, referenced by early Greek herbalists. It was used to treat fevers, headaches, arthritis, and a range of other conditions.

Feverfew grows vigorously and without much additional effort from gardeners. They aren’t fussy about location (as long as it’s a sunny spot) and handle short periods of drought well. They also attract beneficial insects, bringing life to your cottagecore garden. And like German chamomile, the blooms are great for drying.

Although they are considered short-lived perennials, your plants will reseed and spread around your garden naturally. Their pollinator-attracting abilities are a great benefit in vegetable and herb gardens, so mix them in with your edibles if you have the space.

Cherry Caramel Phlox

‘Cherry Caramel’ phlox has a classic and almost vintage look that blends seamlessly into a cottagecore garden. The blooms are a unique combination of beige and cherry pink, giving them their descriptive cultivar name. These colors are tough to find in other blooms and have an interesting antique feel that’s incredibly popular at the moment.

‘Cherry Caramel’ looks great in the garden and even better in floral arrangements. The plants flower prolifically, giving you plenty of opportunities to cut and bring the blooms indoors. Outdoors, their scent attracts pollinators all season long.

Don’t be alarmed if you notice less flowering during the peak of summer, as these plants perform best in moderate temperatures. Once the temperatures drop again in late summer, the flowers will return.

English Tall Lavender

When I think of old-fashioned English cottage gardens, lavender is the first plant to come to mind. It’s been a must-have for many years for both its beauty and its fragrance. This tall English lavender is a classic variety with a long list of interesting uses.

In garden beds, the flower stalks add height and attract beneficial insects (particularly bees). Indoors, they work well in vases fresh or dried, or processed into potpourris or essential oils. But my favorite uses are in the kitchen. Use lavender to decorate desserts, for a floral note in baking, or in a syrup used to flavor your botanical cocktails.

Place your lavender plants close to a window in your cottagecore garden where you can enjoy the fragrance and activity they bring. I’ve used several plants to line one of my pathways, and I love running my hands through them as I walk by to release their intoxicating scent.

English Thyme

A relative of lavender, English thyme is best known for its use in the kitchen. The earthy flavor is subtle, pairing well with meat dishes and Mediterranean vegetables. This flavor is much stronger when the leaves are harvested fresh from the garden, better than the dried version you find in stores.

This herb is useful in cooking, but it also has other garden benefits that are often overlooked. The tiny leaves and delicate purple flowers fit right into the cottagecore aesthetic, especially when paired with taller perennials. The plants are drought-tolerant and low-maintenance, a great herb for beginners.

English thyme can be shaped into a low hedge, ideal for bordering your herb or vegetable garden. Or plant in containers close to your kitchen for easy harvesting as you need them.

Tiny Tim Alyssum

Sweet alyssum is a plant everyone should have in their garden, whether in beds, pots, or hanging baskets. ‘Tiny Tim’ produces masses of flowers with a sweet fragrance that explains their common name.

Sticking low to the ground, ‘Tiny Tim’ is great in rock gardens or as a weed-suppressing ground cover. Plant it between other cottage garden staples or to cover the soil in containers filled with trees or dormant bulbs waiting to emerge. No matter where they are planted, alyssum will attract pollinators and add beauty to your garden.

Bright white blooms cover the entire plant in summer, adding to the cottagecore feel. The flowering is so prolific that you’ll struggle to see the foliage when it’s in full bloom. These blooms are also edible, great for garnishing salads.

White Lace Orlaya

If you like the look of alyssum but need something a little bigger and more intricate, you’ll love orlaya, ‘White Lace‘. This plant produces umbel blooms that shine in the garden, especially when paired with colorful perennials.

Once the flowering season is over, there is still plenty of interest to look forward to. The flowers make way for interesting green fruits with a unique spiked shape. The flowers attract pollinators, and the fruits attract birds and other wildlife.

After they have established, they require very minimal care and look good without much attention from you. Sow in trays 4-6 weeks before last frost or simply scatter the seeds about two weeks after last frost for a wilder look. Sow again every two weeks to give you a steady supply of blooms throughout the season.

Outhouse Hollyhock

Like foxgloves, ‘Outhouse’ hollyhocks are a must-have in cottagecore gardens. These classic bloomers reach impressive heights (a massive 6-9 feet), providing a stunning backdrop for your beds. Their flowers are massive too, popping up in shades of pink, red, and white.

Historically, hollyhocks were planted around outhouses to screen them from view (and signal to guests where they were located), hence the name of this cultivar. While you might not have the same needs today, they are still ideal for growing along fences or walls to create a living screen.

These adorable blooms are edible, good for garnishing cottagecore-inspired dishes. They’re better for decoration rather than flavor though, as the petals taste quite bland. Toss them into a mixed salad or on top of a cake to bring their beauty into the kitchen.

Charmer Blend Flax

‘Charmer Blend’ is an ornamental flax grown for its impressive color. Dot them around your cottagecore garden for splashes of blush pink, deep red, creamy white, and peachy orange with contrasting bright centers. No matter where you plant them, these blooms command attention.

These plants have a compact height but wide spread to fill gaps with vibrant color. They can grow in full sun or partial shade, although they will typically produce the best blooms with at least six hours of direct sun. They also tolerate hot and dry conditions with ease, ideal for gardeners in warmer climates.

Use ‘Charmer Blend’ to fill in spaces between larger plants (like the hollyhocks). Spreading them out will create a meadow-like feel inherent to the cottage garden style. The flowers also attract butterflies and other beneficial insects.

Starflower Scabiosa

The previous entries on this list have largely warm-toned blooms in pinks, reds, and oranges. But if blue is your favorite color, you’ll love starflower scabiosa, commonly known as pincushion flowers.

Scabiosa produce the most delicate baby blue and white blooms that easily match the cottagecore vibe. These turn into eye-catching ornamental seedheads covered in star shapes, hence the name. These seedheads are ideal for drying and use in long-term indoor arrangements.

Another benefit of these plants is their prolific flowering. You won’t be short on blooms from mid-summer all the way until frost in fall. Throughout this time, they’ll create a buzz of activity by attracting pollinators to their blue blooms.

High Scent Sweet Pea

Sweet peas are synonymous with cottage gardens, and ‘High Scent’ is one of the most fragrant varieties you can grow. The blooms are mostly white, but if you look closer, you’ll notice a beautiful touch of lavender (that complements scabiosa perfectly).

This sweet pea not only looks stunning but also fills the garden with a wonderful scent that adds to the cottagecore atmosphere. The flowers are also perfect for cutting, particularly if you want to enjoy their fragrance indoors. They bloom profusely, providing plenty to enjoy outside and in.

The best way to grow sweet peas is along fences, where their climbing vines can create a colorful backdrop. If you don’t have a fence, install a trellis or another support to help the vines travel as they grow.